Wang Kuo, who won the championship, took a group photo with Tang Dan (female) holding a trophy.
Deng Hanyu Sichuan online reporter Xue Jian
On January 15, the 2020 "Nine Cities Cup" National Chess Championship (individual) came to an end at the Shanghai Chess Academy. After seven days of fierce competition, the amateur chess player Wang Kuo finally defeated Grandmaster Zhao Xinxin in the final battle of the championship and runner-up, becoming the 21st national chess champion.
In the women's competition, Tang Dan won his ninth national championship with 7 wins, 3 and 1 loss with 17 points.
Sichuan chess player and grandmaster Zheng Weitong won the fourth place in the men's competition, and Sichuan beauty master Liang Yanting won the third place in the women's competition.
The annual National Chess Individual Championship was founded in 1956, and the women's division was established in 1979, and the tournament has become one of the highest level chess events in the country for 64 years. It is worth mentioning that this tournament is also after 63 years, the National Chess Individual Championship has returned to Shanghai.
The 2020 "Nine Cities Cup" National Chess Championship (individual) has a total of 148 players and coaches from 29 teams across the country, and the competition lasts for 7 days, with a total of 3 groups: men's group A, men's group B and women's group. Men's Group A adopts a single-game knockout match, with a draw to select successive hands and chess matches; The men's group B adopts 7 rounds of points arrangement, and after the 5th round, the top 12 are promoted, the 6th round and the 7th round are each promoted to the top 10, and a total of 32 players advance to the first group; The women's team is choreographed with 11 rounds of points.
In the round of 16, Jiang Chuan, Wang Yang, Xie Jing and Xu Chao were out of the four national champions; And Wang Kuo, Xu Wenwen, Wang Yuhang three chess players all the way through. But the biggest highlight of this is none other than Wang Kuo, as an amateur chess player, he first defeated Grandmaster Zhang Xuechao in the 16-8 Battle; 8-in-4 wins against Wang Hao, who has won the national amateur chess championship consecutively; In the semi-finals, Wang Kuo defeated the world champion and grandmaster Zheng Weitong from Sichuan, and advanced to the final all the way through the barriers, known as the "biggest dark horse" of the competition.
In today's final, Wang Kuo played against Grandmaster Zhao Xinxin, who won the 2007 National Chess Individual Championship and was the 13th national chess champion. After fierce fighting, Wang Kuo finally fought with Grandmaster Zhao Xinxin in three sets, and defeated Zhao Xinxin in the play-offs and successfully reached the top.
While becoming the 21st national chess champion, Wang Kuo also obtained the qualification to declare the title of chess grandmaster and "athlete".
(Photo from Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau)